News

City of Detroit Settles
False Arrest Cases

On November 6, 2000, Bruce Abby, was at
home with his wife and two young children when the Detroit Police
appeared at their door and demanded that he come downtown for
questioning in the death of a friend and
business associate. Mr. Abby, a mortician, was a long time business
associate of the deceased who owned a
funeral parlor. When she was murdered in Detroit, the police had few
clues. That is when the homicide department
threw out their dragnet and brought in the
deceased's family, friends and business associates.

Unfortunately, Mr. Abby was among those
brought in for investigation. He was
questioned, refused the use of the phone, told he should confess,
denied basic toiletries, and kept for more than 44 hours in a
filthy Detroit Police
jail cell (which has since been shut down
by the U.S. Justice Department) until he was finally
released by order of
a local judge. He was never charged with any crime.

"It was the worst experience of my
life." said Abby. "I wasn’t allowed to use the phone and kept in a
little cell for almost 3 days." His wife was asked to come in for
questioning as well. "I was told that my children would be taken
away, placed in foster care and I would never see them again unless
I spoke to them." said Mrs. Abby. "I can’t tell you how scared I
was."

Bruce Abby is among the thousands of
persons arrested by the Detroit Police in many years during homicide
investigations who had nothing to do with any
crime.

On March 23, 2001, Abby filed a civil rights
class action lawsuit alleging his constitutional rights were
violated by the Detroit police in their mis-handling
of the investigation of his friend's
death. "The lawsuit was filed on behalf of
Mr. Abby as well as all other persons who were arrested by the
Detroit police department in their dragnet approach to
investigations."
Although initially filed as a class action the Judge felt that the
individual injuries of each potential Plaintiff was too great to
handle as a class action. As a result, the case continued on behalf
of the 13 individuals who were falsely arrested in the same manner.

After
several years of investigation and on the eve of trial, the case was
recently settled for $1,625,000.00. Finally, the Plaintiffs have
some feeling that their rights have been vindicated.

During
the investigation of this case, the U.S. Justice Department began
its own investigation of the Detroit Police Department. The
Plaintiffs cooperated with the Justice Department. The Detroit jail
was eventually shut down due to inhumane conditions and a consent
judgment was entered that required the Police Department to revise
its arrest policies.